Over the course of the past few months as the colder weather rolled in, the trees began to enter their dormant state. The closing of October brings the vibrant yellows, oranges, and reds to the leaves. November shedding a majority of those leaves creating a sunset on the forest floor. The beginnings of December concluded the falling of those leaves remaining on the paper birches and surrounding red maples. From my very first trip to this little forest tucked behind Trinity Campus, many changes have ensued. The biggest is the loss of all leaves on the main tree species in the area. The only remaining ‘leaves’ would be the needles of the eastern white pines. The smallest red maple saplings have lost all their leaves and entered their dormant state for the rest of the winter. The remaining adolescent eastern white pines still have their green needles. I was unable to reach my site during the heavier snow days, and by the time I made it the weather had warmed up. The bare trees made it easier to spot any nests, specifically those of the gray squirrel. I noticed a couple crawling around in the area, hopping from one tree to another. I have not spotted any birds recently, but there was an owl spotting in a nearby phenology spot.
Though the area remains fairly calm and quiet, the winds have reached high speeds and you can hear the wind traveling between the trees and shifting some of the larger eastern white pines above the dormant paper birches and red maples. With the temperatures dropping each day, this area will slowly lose the remaining dash of color on the forest floor. It will soon gain a full layer of ice and snow. Though it will appear completely empty and lifeless, there is much happening under that blanket of snow for the duration of the winter.